A few weeks days ago (it seems like longer at this rate) I blogged about my problem with notebooks. I was on the verge of buying an epaper writing device - likely a Remarkable 2 as I published it.
Within a few minutes, in the Ubuntu Podcast Telegram channel, Dalton Durst of UBPorts fame, gave me pause for thought.
Put simply Rocketbooks are notepads with erasable not-quite-paper and not-quite-whiteboard material. During the conversation Dalton shared this photo of his books in use. As you can see they come in three sizes, and have differing patterns / lines pre-printed on them.
You write on the pages, then photograph them with a dedicated app (or camera app I guess) which uploads them to a place of your choice. You can then wipe the scribbles with a dampened supplied cloth. You have to use Pilot Pen Frixion (affiliate link) rollerball pens. These are readily available, and come in a few colours.
I hadn’t considered Rocketbooks, despite having looked into them a couple of years ago when the subject last came up. But given the low cost and ringing, repeated endorsements from someone I trust, I figured I’d give it a go rather than blow hundreds on an epaper device.
I bought the Rocketbook Core Smart Reusable Notebook - A4 Letter (affiliate link) which comes with a single pen and cloth. I chose the dotted pattern because I expected to be scribbling free-form notes and diagrams, rather than long form text.
Once it arrived and I’d had a play with the Rocketbook, I could appreciate the endorsements. The app is easy enough to setup, and integrate with online services to upload my carefully created content. I haven’t used it in anger a huge amount, but I’ve found it quite handy for scribbling designs and other notes on. I’ll probably do a longer review once I’ve had it a while longer.